A Twist: Makoto & Nephrite
by StormyChef
Summary: Collaboration with Melinda Sandy Halliwell. Some things must be overcome more than once...
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Standard disclaimer applies. I don't own these characters; I'm not making money off of them. Please don't sue!_

_This is a collaboration with Melinda Sandy Halliwell based on her fic "A Twist". You can find it at www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/_ _4720173/1/A_Twist_

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"Have you talked to Maeve?"

Nephrite looked up from his charts and quirked an eyebrow at Jadeite. "Not recently, no. Why do you ask?"

Jadeite snorted. "Oh I don't know. Maybe because your wedding is less than a year away, and you still haven't told her the truth?"

Nephrite's face reddened as he scowled. "What I tell Maeve is none of your business."

He rose from his seat and moved to the window, taking in the view of the full moon that was shining through. He sighed to himself. Jadeite was right. He did need to tell her; he should have told her when it was obvious things were getting serious between them. It had been kept under wraps long enough, and time was running out.

He felt a hand upon his shoulder, and he turned to face his shorter companion. "Look, I'm sorry man. You know I don't mean to interfere."

Nephrite nodded. "I know. But you're absolutely right." He sighed and looked back up to the moon. "Part of me is still trying to find some way out of this. A loophole or something, I suppose. I keep thinking that if I can end things amicably - and legally - that when she does find out perhaps it will be easier for her to handle. I love her, Jade. I love _her._"

Jadeite gave Neph another pat on the shoulder before turning to leave. The man needed his privacy, and Jadeite was content with giving it to him. "I know you do. That's why you need to tell her."

***************

Five girls laughed and giggled between hushed whispers and shushes as they rushed down the not-so-hidden passageway towards the not-so-hidden teleportation chamber. This chamber was supposed to be used only in emergencies; however, once the Moon Princess had fallen in love with the Earth Prince, it became a way to sneak off for secret rendezvous on Earth. Tonight it was being used to transport the Princess and her four guardians to a masquerade being held at the Terran palace.

They'd been planning this for weeks. The masquerade was the perfect opportunity for all the girls to attend a Terran ball while still hiding their identities. Their lovers had no idea they would be attending; the girls wanted to surprise them.

Each was dressed in their respective planetary colors: Amelie in blue, her mask adorned with sequins in different shades of the same; Bridget in red, her mask colored with red and orange flames extending from one side; Maeve in green, her mask decorated with leaves and small flowers; Amina in=2 0gold, her mask covered with golden glitter and beads; and Serenity in white, her mask was silver and trimmed with pure white fur. They knew their cover wouldn't last long as far as their men were concerned, but felt relatively confident that they would fit in with the rest of the crowd without raising suspicions.

Four of the girls headed for the teleportation pad, while the fifth ran over to the control panel. Serenity called out as she made her way up the steps to the pad. "Hurry Amelie! We don't want to be late!"

"I know, lady! Just give me a moment to enter the proper coordinates…" The Mercurian punched several buttons on the controls, one of which set a ten-second timer that would allow her to get to the pad before the teleportation began. She nodded to herself as she hit the last few buttons and quickly ran from the control panel, up the stairs onto the pad.

They held hands and closed their eyes as the engines kicked on. Anticipation caused mere seconds to feel like an eternity. As they collectively sucked in a final breath, a white light engulfed the room, and the girls disappeared.

***************

The masquerade was so much more than the girls ever imagined. The ballroom was dripping from ceiling to floor with decorations. An entire wall was dedicated to food and beverage alone, and the supply never seemed to diminish. Despite there being hundreds of people gathered, everyone was wearing something different.

After agreeing on a time to regroup, they decided to split up. Maeve watched as her sisters each went their separate ways before deciding to make her own way through the crowd. While she was much taller than many of the inhabitants of the Moon Kingdom, most of people of Earth were closer to her own height. Though this helped her to blend in, it also made it hard for her to see over most of the guests. Finding herself a bit overwhelmed at the mass of people, she told herself that she had time and didn't need to rush to find Nephrite. She was sure they would bump into each other at some point in the evening. In the meantime, she needed something to drink.

Weaving in and out between guests, she spotted a couple of her sisters near the dance floor. They were laughing at something, though she couldn't see what. She smiled to herself. At least someone was already having fun.

Finally, she found a gentleman passing out champagne near the entrance to the ballroom. She grabbed a glass and decided to head for the gardens for fresh air.

***************

Realizing that she'd been outside longer than planned, Maeve made her way back to the entrance to the palace. About halfway down the corridor, she noticed a man staring out a window. A few steps closer and she found she knew exactly who it was. She quickened her pace down the hall, but came to an abrupt halt when she saw a young woman with short red hair come bounding out of the entrance to the ballroom and run over to Nephrite.

"There you are! I've been looking all over for you!" The girl then took the man into an embrace and the two shared a kiss that was more than friendly. Maeve felt her knees weaken and her hands began to shake.

She nearly choked on her own breath as Nephrite actually smiled back at this girl who had accosted him. Why didn't he push her away?? The girl then grabbed him by the arm and began to pull him towards the entrance to the ballroom. "I need you back in here. Daddy wants to talk about some changes to the guest list for our wedding."

The empty champagne flute fell from Maeve's hand and shattered upon contact with the marble floor. Nephrite hesitated as he heard the sound of glass breaking and turned in time to see a brunette in a green dress running down the hallway towards the gardens. Before he had the chance to further inspect, he felt another tug at his arm. "C'mon Neph! This is important!" He20looked back down and nodded to the other girl. He glanced back down the hallway one last time before shrugging off the strange feeling that had come over him and headed into the ballroom with his fiancée.

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_More A/N: Don't worry, there's more to come!_


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Standard disclaimer applies. I don't own these characters; I'm not making money off of them. Please don't sue!_

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Makoto woke with a start. Her heart was pounding, and she was drenched in sweat. As the dream slowly turned into actual memory, the images began flowing freely through her mind again. She clutched at her sheets and pulled them over her head. She turned over and squeezed her pillow with a vice like grip and cried. After all the progress she'd made with Nephrite, learning to trust him again…

Hours passed as her emotions shifted from sadness to anger, disbelief to questioning her sanity. She cried, screamed into her pillow, threw things and tore papers into shreds. Her hair stood on end, static electricity building up within her. She needed a release, but transforming into Sailor Jupiter and letting loose with several thunderbolts was not exactly the best way to go about it while cooped up in her bedroom. Instead, she allowed a small amount of pent up electricity to escape from her fingers. It was nothing more than a few smallish sparks, but enough to get the power out of her body. Feeling empty, she collapsed back onto her bed.

As the clock approached the noon hour, there was a knock on the door followed by a soft voice. "Mako-chan? Are you alright, hon?"

It was Ami. Makoto attempted to speak up, but all that came out was a whisper.

Another knock, a louder voice… Apparently they hadn't heard her, and now it was Rei's turn. "Mako-chan? Is everything OK?"

She didn't even attempt an answer. It wasn't worth it. She just wanted to be alone and hoped they'd get the idea and leave. Unfortunately, that was not to be.

"Mako-chan, I'm coming in." She heard Rei grab the handle and then… "OUCH! What the hell Mako?! Did you booby trap the door or something?"

Makoto groaned and decided to pull herself off the bed. She kicked away several books and other tossed items that had landed by the door before yanking it open with a growl. "No Rei, I did not 'booby trap' the door. I had a rough night that has lead into a horrible morning, and I needed to let off some energy."

Rei's annoyance at being shocked turned to sympathy at the tone of Makoto's voice and at seeing past her sister and into her thoroughly trashed room. Ami craned her neck around Rei and also frowned at the sight of Makoto and her surroundings. The three stood in silence for a few moments before Makoto retreated back to the safety of her bed, leaving the other two at the door. Rei and Ami exchanged a knowing glance and nodded.

Ami spoke first. "I'll get the coffee going." She offered a small smile before heading off to the kitchen.

Rei entered the room and looked about before sitting on the bed beside Makoto. She frowned at the mess that surrounded the two, but could understand the frustrations at having bad memories return. They had all suffered nights like that before, and she knew it would still be a while longer before they ended.

The pair sat quietly for another few moments. Makoto lost in her memories; Rei trying to find the right words to console her sister. She knew Makoto rather liked being alone after a bad night, but could not help wanting to remind her that they were all there to support her.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She knew what the answer would be, but it was her duty to ask.

"No."

And there it was. She couldn't help but laugh on the inside at the predictability of that response. She moved to get up from the bed, but was stopped when Makoto placed a hand on hers.

"Wait."

She looked at her sister. Her green eyes shone despite the redness that surrounded them. She could see the electricity dancing about, the spark that Makoto always held no matter her mood. Rei took Makoto's hand in her own. She was never good at showing physical affection, but hoped that the small gesture would suffice for now. "What is it, Mako-chan?"

Makoto sighed and looked down as Rei took her hand. She knew the question she wanted to ask, but didn't know how to ask it. She should have kept her mouth shut and just let Rei leave, but she did need answers. It pained her to have to talk about it, to rehash the things she'd seen in her dream.

About that time, Ami came back into the room with a mug of coffee. She offered Makoto a smile as she handed her the mug. "Extra cream and sugar, just how you like it."

"Thank you, Ami-chan." She took a small sip then held the warm mug between her hands, maintaining a firm grip. Looking up at Ami she continued, "I was about to ask Rei, but now that you're here maybe you can answer too…"

Ami took a seat on the other side of Makoto, so that she was now sandwiched between herself and Rei. "I will answer anything to the best of my ability, Mako-chan."

Makoto nodded. "I was wondering… Do either of you know… I mean… Have there been any signs that…" She looked down at her feet, her elbows on her knees. It was a stupid question, really. But she knew what she saw in her dream, or more specifically _who_ she saw in her dream. "You've known her longer than I have, so I don't know if I've just missed something…"

Ami looked over Makoto at Rei and raised an eyebrow. Rei only shrugged. Ami decided to ask first. "We've known whom, Mako-chan?"

"Osaka Naru."

Both Ami's and Rei's eyes widened at the name. They exchanged a knowing look, though neither knew what to say next.

Makoto continued nonetheless, "Last night I dreamt of another woman with Nephrite. I saw the two of them at a Terran ball. She said something about a wedding… Their wedding." She paused, trying to hold back more tears, yet one escaped and slid down her cheek. "It was Naru."

Rei gave Makoto's hand a light squeeze while Ami softly patted Makoto's back. "Oh Mako-chan, I'm so sorry."

She looked to both her sisters, gaining strength from their caring touch. "Nephrite was killed before I became Sailor Jupiter. But she's still alive. And if he weren't trapped in a stone…" She trailed off.

Taking a deep breath, she began again. "I guess what I'm getting at is… Has she shown any signs of remembering her past life?"

Ami shook her head. "I really don't think so. At least, she hasn't let on about it. Usagi-chan spends more time with her than any of us, and she's never mentioned anything either…."

Rei nodded along with Ami's response. She frowned, though, as another issue came to mind. There was still the matter of Sanjouin Masato. Makoto knew Naru mourned his death. However she did not know that Masato was, in fact, Nephrite.

That was not their place to share with Makoto. She was having a hard enough time as it was. No, that was something that needed to be left up to Nephrite to explain.

She gave Makoto's hand another soft squeeze. "Mako-chan, perhaps you should speak to Nephrite about this tonight. As much as it hurts right now, he really is the best place for you to get your answers."

Makoto looked to Rei, with tears in her eyes. "I know. I just…" She looked back down and wiped her face with her hands. "I know there must have been a resolution to this at some point after I found out in the Silver Millennium, which is fine. I can deal with that. But this girl, this woman, she's still very much alive. Who's to say that she won't remember him if he weren't in the stone? What do I do then?"

"I'm sure things will be fine, Mako-chan. Rei is right. You need to talk this over with Nephrite. I know the two of you will work things out, and it will be okay again. It may take time, but I'm sure the two of you will find out what you need to do to make it right." Ami gave Makoto another pat on the back and a slight smile.

Makoto sat back up and looked to both of her friends. She forced a smile to each of them before standing. "I know. You guys are both very right. I'll go to the meeting tonight, and I will talk to him." She looked around her room and frowned again. "Though for now, I think I need to get to cleaning up this mess I made. Maybe it'll help clear my mind."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Standard disclaimer applies. I don't own these characters; I'm not making money off of them. Please don't sue!

Many thanks again to Melinda Sandy Halliwell for letting me write in her Twist-verse.

And thanks to those of you who have reviewed. You know who you are, and you are truly appreciated!! Thanks for reading :)

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Makoto cleaned. And she baked. And then she cleaned some more. And then she baked some more.

The apartment was now spotless, unless you took into consideration the stacks of cookies and muffins and baking pans that covered the kitchen counters.

'Stressed' was putting it mildly.

Rei approached as Makoto was scrubbing away at a dirtied cookie sheet. "Mako-chan? Are you, uh, OK?"

"YepI'mfine!" she hastily replied as she continued to scrub away.

"You do realize you're about to scrub straight through the middle of that cookie sheet, right?"

Makoto only scrubbed harder.

Rei stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Makoto, her hands taking hold of Makoto's soapy ones and pulling them away from her work. Reluctantly, Makoto released her firm grip on the dirty pan and scrubby sponge and turned to face Rei. Her face was red, her hair frazzled, and she was caked in flour. Rei stifled a giggle at her sister's appearance. She knew what it was like to have a rough day and knew that this was Makoto's way of dealing with it.

She also knew that her sister would be fine. She smiled. "We're going to be heading to Mamoru's soon. Why don't you go shower up and let me finish cleaning this for you?"

Makoto frowned. "Is it that time already?"

Rei nodded. "Yes, hon. It's that time."

**********

Makoto had remained mostly quiet on the walk to Mamoru's apartment. The other girls laughed and carried on and had tried to include Makoto in their conversations, yet the taller girl kept mostly to herself. She needed to gather her thoughts and decide on what to say to Nephrite. Things would be alright, wouldn't they?

She sucked in her breath as she heard the buzzer which signaled the unlocking of the door so they could enter.

The girls moved to the elevator and Usagi pressed the call button. After entering, Makoto closed her eyes and leaned against the back wall as the elevator rose to Mamoru's floor. It was a short ride, yet her heart pounded harder as each floor passed with a "beep."

Finally, there was a "ding" of a bell, signaling that they'd reached their stop. Ami looked to Makoto, their strong sister whose face was now pale, and took hold of her hand. Mako glanced down at the hand that was now in Ami's grasp and felt her sister give it a light squeeze. It was a silent reminder that she had support, and that was all she needed for motivation to leave the elevator.

Mamoru smiled to the girls as he opened the door to the apartment. They all exchanged greetings, Makoto only giving a brief nod as she entered. He looked to Usagi, as he knew Makoto was not usually so removed. Usagi shook her head, a signal for him not to worry. He nodded and gave her a brief kiss on the forehead before shutting the door to the apartment.

The other girls took their usual seats around the room, but Makoto wanted somewhere a bit more private. She chose a space beside the window, away from the others, and sat with her legs curled under her. She stared out to the sky, taking in the colors as the sun began its descent towards the horizon.

As was customary, Mamoru went to the desk where the stones were kept in their glass case and opened the lid. "Our company has arrived, gentlemen."

Four spirits materialized and moved towards their Senshi. Nephrite hesitated for a moment, not seeing Makoto in her usual seat, but quickly spotted her beside the window. He frowned slightly, having sensed her dream from last night, and knew that their discussion today would most likely be a tough one.

Makoto kept her eyes on the sunset as Nephrite came to sit beside her. He gazed out the window with her, content with the quiet between them for the moment. All the others were already busy in their discussions, laughing and carrying on. Yet for Makoto and Nephrite, silence reigned.

After what seemed like ages, Makoto finally spoke, though her eyes never left the window.

"I suppose you know about last night." He only replied with a slow nod, though she didn't look to see. "Though the dream itself was more than painful, it's who was in it that made it all the more hard to bear."

Nephrite tried to roll through as many memories as possible, mentally adding and removing people that the dream could have been about. She continued without his input.

"I know about her, Nephrite."

If he had a physical heart, it would have skipped a beat, and not in a good way. Those were the exact words he'd heard once before, although it had been eons since the last time. A memory flowed through his mind, the entire scene playing out before him once again. History truly had a way of repeating itself. He cringed internally, knowing what would probably come next.

"Makoto, if I may expla-"

"Nephrite, there is nothing to explain. I know what I saw, I know what happened. What's done is done. I know there had to have been a resolution, because we were still together until… until the fall." She wrung her hands as she spoke, trying to find the courage for her next words. "So, I'm okay with that. I can handle that."

He raised an eyebrow. That wasn't what he expected. Not what he expected at all. He thought there would be anger and yelling and punches thrown, just like last time. But no, this time she was much calmer. And frankly, it scared him.

Her voice lowered, she continued. "But the problem is…" Tears began to well up in her eyes, and she bit her lip in an attempt to fight them back.

While he could not see her face directly, Nephrite knew she was in pain. He wanted so desperately to be able to take her in his arms and hold her. To stroke her curly brown hair and kiss her forehead and reassure her that he truly loved her and her only. Had he been in a physical body at this moment, he would have cried with her. Instead, he just let her talk.

"The problem is," and for the first time that evening, Makoto turned to look Nephrite in the eye, "she's still alive, Nephrite. She's been reborn, just like all of us. I used to see her nearly every day while we were in school. Usagi is her best friend. She's right there in my life, all the time." She couldn't hold the tears back any longer, and two escaped to streak down her face. "I know I said what's done is done. But that was the past. This is now. What am I supposed to do if you find yourself reincarnated again? What am I supposed to do when she sees you and recognizes you? What then?" In an attempt to keep herself from bawling, she turned back to the window and buried her face in her hands.

Nephrite sat with his jaw agape. He blinked a few times, trying to process everything that Makoto had just shared. After a period of silence, he finally found his voice. "I know, and I'm so very sorry. I really don't even know how to begin to put into words how sorry I am for the pain I've caused." He frowned, recalling the pain he'd caused her all those years ago for not being honest and knowing that she was now suffering pain at his hands once again. This was his chance to make things right, to be honest, to tell her the truth.

"There is… something else I need to tell you about." He grimaced as she turned to look at him, that familiar hurt in her eyes. "Please, just let me explain. I… Beryl used me before you woke up. I don't know, maybe her power was weakening or something, but some bit of humanity slipped into me..." He sighed realizing he was starting with an excuse rather than an explanation.

"Let me start over. I came up with a different strategy to collect energy for Beryl, since Jadeite's hadn't worked out so well. I developed a disguise so that I could get close enough to take the energy of one person, rather than attacking many people at once."

Makoto raised an eyebrow. She knew about this already, so why was he bringing it all up again? Instead of interrupting, she decided it best to just listen as he continued.

"I was a very horrible, evil person while under Beryl's control. I lied and deceived to get my way. I used many people to gather energy and attack your sister Senshi. However, no matter my plan, there was only one person who saw through those deceptions. She believed I could be a good person, even though all I did was lie to her. Still, I continued in my dark ways, even using her as a puppet to get what I wanted."

Her eyes narrowed, Makoto was trying to understand all that Nephrite was telling her. He was good now, right? So what did all that matter? And who is 'she'? Nephrite noticed her confused look.

"There is a point. I'm getting there, I promise."

She slowly nodded, and he continued.

"Despite the evil things I did to her and all of her friends, she still claimed to love me. I couldn't understand how a person could continue to show such compassion after all I'd done. Even after admitting who I was and what I was after, she believed I could be good."

He paused for a moment, hoping Makoto was processing all he was saying before he finished. He glanced out the window, sending a silent message to the stars that were now twinkling through the twilight, begging them to be on his side again. When he received no answer, he looked back to Makoto and saw the questioning look upon her face. He sighed. This was his time to be honest, and, no matter the pain, he needed to tell her everything.

"Makoto, my disguise was that of Sanjouin Masato, and that girl was Osaka Naru."

Her eyes locked with his, her mouth agape. She felt as if all the oxygen had been sucked from her lungs. She gasped for air, bordering on hyperventilation.

"Mako, she made me laugh! Me! A Dark Kingdom general! Genuinely, honestly laugh! She showed me kindness, love. I found humanity through her. She forgave me for all the wrong I'd done. Though I never fully returned the feelings she expressed, it took my death for me to finally understand what those feelings were. If it hadn't been for her…"

Tears were once again falling from Makoto's eyes. Her breathing had slowed again, a calm coming back to her. Her face began to redden, and Nephrite didn't know if it was from the crying or if it was anger. After a moment, she spoke, her voice low.

"Did you know who she was? That she was your…"

He shook his head. "No. I had no idea until after I'd died and my soul was locked within the stone. My memories returned then, of the Silver Millennium, of her, of you…"

She narrowed her eyes and looked into his, her voice slow and calm. "She may not have her memories, but in this life she knows who you are; according to you, not only as Masato, but as Nephrite too. She thinks you're dead. She _mourned_ for you, rather openly, for weeks. She _continues_ to mourn you silently still. Even though she's with someone else now, she still talks about you."

Nephrite frowned and shook his head again. "She's a good person, Makoto. She has a good heart. You can't hold this against her. This is my fault. Be angry with me, but don't blame her."

Makoto's face reddened further, and she began to raise her voice. "Oh, you are damn right this is your fault, and you'd better believe I am angry with you. Beryl or not, you made this girl fall in love with you. And while she has forgiven you, I'm not sure I can."

"Mako, please-"

She shook her head and held up her hand. "No. No, you listen to me. I am _not_ going to have to compete with another woman for your attention."

"Mako, you know I love only you."

"Yeah, well what happens when you're free of the stone? What happens when she sees you again, very much _alive_?? What if she reclaims her memories too? What then?"

"I…I don't know. I really don't know what she'll do," he pleaded with her, "but I know that I will still only love you, as I always have!"

Her eyes narrowed at him again, her voice raised and becoming higher pitched. "How can I trust you? You've betrayed me time after time! How am I supposed to believe that this time will be different?"

"Mako, please understand, I've always loved _only_ you! Even through all that, I've always come back to you."

Her voice rose further, on the verge of yelling. "Is that what I am? Someone for you to come back to when nothing else goes the way you'd planned?" She shook her head and stood. "Well I'm not letting you do it again. I've had all the heartbreak I need in this lifetime. I don't need you to add to it again."

He jumped up as well and tried reaching for her, cursing as his non-corporal hand passed through hers.

At this point, the conversations of the other occupants of the apartment had stopped, and all eyes were now trained on Makoto and Nephrite. They all remained silent, shocked at the scene playing out before them.

She stepped back as he reached out a second time. Even though he couldn't grab her, she still felt the need to further distance herself.

"I do hope your bond with the stone is eventually broken. You do deserve at least that much. But when it happens, don't…" She began to choke on her words as tears rose to the surface again. "When it happens, don't come looking for me, because I won't be there."

"Mako, wait! Please don't…"

She held up her hand to stop him. "It's over, Nephrite. I won't let you hurt me again."

Makoto turned and walked to the door. She paused to look back at her friends. "I'm sorry. I just can't do this anymore." She left the apartment, the door closing with a light 'click' that echoed through the silent room.

Nephrite stared at the door for a moment, wishing that this was all just some cruel joke and that she'd come back. When the door didn't open again, he sighed. If she would only realize that he really did love _only_ her. He looked to the group that was staring at him. Nobody spoke, not knowing what to say.

He attempted a smile, which came across more like a grimace, before fading away and returning to the stone. He still didn't know how it had ended so quickly and with such anger, but he was damn sure that he was going to figure out how to make it up to her, even if it took an eternity.


End file.
